Greetings from Dublin, Ireland! The past three days I have spent taking in the rolling hills, the blooming flowers of early spring, and riding bikes in Phoenix Park with family and friends. While I could give you recommendations of where to stay and stuff your face, Dublin is a rather small town, so it is best to wander around and find those for yourself. For the next week and a half I will be traveling to Ireland, Germany, Switzerland, and Austria - mostly just to travel, but some for class. In case you forgot (I tend to forget I am still a student too), I have class 5 days out of the week, but for this week my Swiss Alps Ecosystem class will be traveling to the Swiss Alps to analyze tree cores, identify both native and invasive trees, and to measure the human impact on the ecosystem for the past century. Did I mention that I will not be in the same country for more than 3 days and still have a final report and exam?
It recently occurred to me that because I plan these outrageously packed weeks, I have developed - and dare I say perfected - a rather comprehensive rule book for packing and basic travel. I thought I would share a few of my more basic rules as I have learned through experience that it is always better to be prepared. So here it is -
- Always - I mean ALWAYS - pack a swimsuit and running shoes.
I must admit that I stole this rule from my Aunt as she has forever emphasized the necessity of a swimsuit and running shoes. While it may seem absolutely psychotic to bring a swimsuit to say the Swiss Alps, you truly never know what is available. Most airports have a connecting - or at least nearby - hotel that allow you to use the gym and pool. If your flight is severely delayed or just have a ridiculously long layover and find yourself with 6 hours and nothing to do, you can easily go swim laps or run to pass the time. Even if on the very off chance the hotel does not offer this service, you can buy the cheapest service and I guarantee you both pool and gym access will be included. In addition, you never know what is available at your final destination. What happens if you are in the Alps and stumble upon a traditional sauna or find a group leading a sunrise hike? You’ll wish you had a swimsuit and running shoes.
2. Download absolutely everything before you leave.
Since I am traveling for a week and a half straight in several different countries, I do not always have access to a printer and still most definitely need my plane and train tickets. While yes I could print them out beforehand, the odds of losing a ticket along the way are too high to allow me to sleep peacefully at night. So before I leave, I download absolutely everything - tickets, maps, music, personal documents, movies, books, travel accommodation confirmations, etc. Do not wait until you are at your final destination to download them. You will most likely not have wifi and can completely avoid a panic attack by simply downloading everything before you leave.
3. Stock up on every vitamin imaginable.
For those of you who are highly against vitamins, please just skip this one because at this point there is no convincing you. For everyone else, stock up on Vitamin C, Magnesium, Vitamin D, and Vitamin B12. If we have learned anything from watching Guns, Germs, and Steel, its that disease travels insanely quickly and can easily destroy your immune system. While I take vitamins every day, it is especially important while traveling as you are interacting with a new environment filled with foreign bodies. In addition, your body will also be a highly susceptible to disease due to the lack of sleep that comes with traveling. Nothing is worse than getting sick while on vacation. On that note, even stock up on antibiotics. I have a friend who studied in India for 6 months and got food poisoning not one, not two, but THREE times. She said she had never been more grateful for western medicine before simply because she brought antibiotics from home and was in desperate need of them. The takeaway point is, just take care of your body and know that traveling does take a toll on it.
4. Bring ALL the snacks.
Like so many other people, I suffer from extreme low blood sugar and tend to be overcome with hanger when I stray from my regular eating schedule. Whenever I travel, I bring a few snacks - ie. granola bars, almond butter packets, and dried fruit - for myself and a few extra snacks for people in my group. The only thing worse than being hangry, is having another member of your travel group hangry. I always bring a few more snacks than I need just so I do not have to deal with someone else having low blood sugar. There is no guarantee that there will be food you can easily grab in a new place, so you might as well bring a few snacks. Who knows - maybe the people in your group simply do not eat breakfast, but you need food to start your day. This is when your emergency snacks come in.
5. On that note, just bring instant coffee.
To my utter surprise, not only do some people simply do not drink coffee, but some in some places coffee is not easily accessible. In a few weeks, I will be camping in the sand dunes of Morocco. If there is one thing that is for sure for that trip, it is that I cannot go to the local coffeeshop in the morning to grab a nice, almost-too-large Americano. I always pack a few packets of instant coffee whenever I travel as some people I travel with do not need immediate coffee within the first hour of waking up. You never want to inconvenience your travel partners with your terrible mood or immediate needs, so it’s best just to bring some instant coffee.
So there are just a few of my more relatable to the average traveler tips. I do have others, but I do not think anyone cares to bring activated charcoal or compression socks for longer flights. After this week and a half of pure insanity, I will be starting a new module with my program - Sustainable Energy - and traveling with a few of my GW friends for the first time. Updates to come!